微软宣布将采取多项措施防止资料中心推高当地电费，以回应日益增长的公众反弹。该公司目前在美国拥有约100座正在规划或建设的资料中心。根据副董事长Brad Smith于维吉尼亚州Great Falls的发言，微软将要求公用事业机构对资料中心设定更高电价，并承诺减少用水量、实现「用后补水」。这项声明紧随特朗普总统于Truth Social的发言，后者强调科技企业必须「自付电力成本」，并指民主党导致电费上涨。根据美国能源资讯署（EIA），全国电费涨幅已超过通胀，预计将持续上升至2026年。
地方层面的反对在2025年第二季度急剧上升，导致数十亿美元的资料中心专案停摆或取消。部分反对者警告，项目可能导致居民电费上涨5%至15%。2025年10月，微软取消威斯康辛州的建设计划；12月，密歇根州的专案因民众反弹被搁置，周一当地规划会议吸引数百名居民表达反对意见。政治层面上，对资料中心的质疑呈现跨党派特征。前特朗普幕僚Steve Bannon亦批评其能源与水资源消耗，显示右翼部分人士开始质疑人工智慧基础设施扩张。
尽管争议上升，特朗普政府仍将加速资料中心建设列为核心政策，放宽环保限制并推动在联邦土地上开发。能源部已指示联邦能源监管委员会处理与电网相关的资料中心问题。微软同时承诺不向地方政府要求税收减免，并投资本地AI培训与就业。此举反映出在电价上升、供电需求激增的背景下，科技巨头试图平衡能源成本与公众接受度。资料中心对电网负载与水资源的影响正成为美国能源与产业政策的核心争议之一。
Microsoft announced a series of measures to prevent its data centers from driving up local electricity bills amid growing public backlash. With about 100 facilities planned or under construction across the U.S., Vice Chair Brad Smith said in Great Falls, Virginia, that Microsoft will ask utilities to set higher electricity rates for data centers and pledged to cut water use, aiming to “replenish more water than we consume.” The move followed a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump, who said big tech firms must “pay their own way,” blaming Democrats for rising utility bills. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. power bills have risen faster than inflation and are projected to keep increasing through 2026.
Local opposition surged in the second quarter of 2025, stalling or canceling billions in projects. Some groups warned data centers could raise residential rates by 5–15%. In October 2025, Microsoft canceled its Wisconsin project; in December, a Michigan project was paused amid public concerns, drawing hundreds to a planning hearing. Political resistance has become bipartisan, with former Trump strategist Steve Bannon denouncing the energy and water costs of data centers, signaling conservative skepticism toward AI infrastructure expansion.
Despite this, the Trump administration prioritized accelerating data center construction, loosening environmental rules and promoting development on federal land. The Department of Energy directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to address grid-related challenges. Microsoft pledged not to seek local tax abatements and to invest in local AI training and job creation. These efforts illustrate how tech giants are attempting to balance rising energy demand and public scrutiny as data centers’ impact on power grids and water resources becomes a focal issue in U.S. industrial and energy policy.